Wall Sits may look simple, but they are one of the most deceptively tough exercises out there. As a great lower body movement that can be done anywhere, wall sits are also very underrated.

And of course, adding just a few pieces of equipment makes the exercise even better by increasing resistance. You can also save time by combining multiple exercises into one, making them great for those of you without a lot of spare time to work out. 

Common Wall Sit Mistakes

Legs not parallel to the ground

A lot of people don’t place their legs at the correct angle. Make sure they are pointing directly out in front of you - imagine your legs forming a flat table that you could put a laptop on.

Incorrect Foot Placement

Don’t put your feet too far forwards or back, make sure you keep your ankles directly under your knees so that your shin makes a straight line from the floor to the ceiling.

Back Leaving the Wall

Keep your back flat against the wall the whole time, ensure you feel your shoulder blades and hips make contact with the wall the entire time you’re in the wall sit position.

Wall Sit Variation Exercises

1 - Standard Wall Sit

Targets - Quads

Rep / Time Range - 20-60 seconds

Stand with your back flat against a wall and your knees spread shoulder width apart. Walk your legs out 2 feet in front of you. Slide your back down the wall, bending your knees to a 90-degree angle. Keep your feet flat on the floor with your ankles directly in line with your knees.

2 - Narrow Stance Wall Sit

Targets - Glutes and hamstrings

Rep / Time Range - 20-60 seconds

Keep your knees and ankles together so that they are touching when you’re in the seated position.

3 - Wall Sit with Heels Raised

Targets - Hip flexors and quads

Rep / Time Range - 20-60 seconds

Lift your heels off the ground while keeping your toes and the balls of your feet flat on the floor. Hold this position for 3 seconds, then place your heels back on the ground.

4 - Single Leg Wall Sit

Targets - Improves balance

Rep / Time Range - 40-120 seconds

Perform a wall sit, then raise one leg off the ground, trying to keep it straight out in front of you. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then place your foot back on the ground and repeat with the other leg.

5 - Wall Sit with Bicep Curls

Targets - Biceps

Rep / Time Range - 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Perform a wall sit and hold a pair of Dumbbells down at your sides with your palms facing out. Curl the dumbbells up by bending your elbows until your forearm is pointing straight up at the ceiling. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position, making sure to control the weight the whole way down.

If you’re using heavier weights, you may find the dumbbells hit your legs at the bottom. You can solve this by having your palms facing in at the bottom, then rotating the dumbbells into position after they clear your legs.

6 - Wall Sit with Shoulder Press

Targets - Delts, traps and triceps

Rep / Time Range - 5-10 reps

Perform a wall sit and hold a pair of dumbbells to your sides at neck height with your forearms facing straight up. Press the dumbbells up over your head until your arms straighten. Slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position.

If you feel pain in your shoulder, or just have the dumbbells hitting the wall, you can bend your arms out in front of you slightly instead of having them directly out at your sides.

7 - Wall Sit with Lateral Raise

Targets - Side delts

Rep / Time Range - 10-15 reps

Perform a wall sit while holding a pair of dumbbells at your side, in line with your thighs. Bend your elbows forward just a few inches, then raise your arms up and out to your sides until your wrists are level with your shoulders. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your sides. Use a lighter weight to reduce stress on the rotator cuff.

8 - Kettlebell Front Rack Wall Sit

Targets - Lats

Rep / Time Range - 20-60 seconds

Grab two Kettlebells. Hold the kettlebell handles with your hands almost touching each other just below your collarbone and your elbows angled outwards slightly, down near your bottom ribs. Your arms should form two sides of a triangle, resting the weight of the kettlebells against your forearms and biceps.

9 - Wall Sit with Forward Plate Hold

Targets - Serratus

Rep / Time Range - 20-60 seconds

Hold a Weight Plate with the flat side facing towards you and straighten your arms out in front of you.

10 - Wall Sit with Overhead Plate Hold

Targets - Lats and core

Rep / Time Range - 20-60 seconds

While performing a wall sit, hold a weight plate over your head. If you’re using a bumper plate or a large plate in general, you’ll need to angle it forward slightly or hold it with the plate facing forwards to stop it from hitting the wall.

11 - Wall Sit With Front Raise

Targets - Front delts

Rep / Time Range - 10-15 reps

Perform a wall sit while holding a pair of dumbbells at your side, in line with your thighs. Lift your arms straight out in front of you until your hands are level with your shoulders. Slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position.

12 - Wall Sit with Rotation

Targets - Abs

Rep / Time Range - 10 reps (each full rotation is one rep)

Hold a medicine ball in your hands. While performing a wall sit, hold the ball in front of you with your arms bent slightly and rotate your upper body until your hand almost touches the wall. Rotate your body all the way to the other side until your hand almost touches the wall again.

There you go, now you have all the information you need to get started with wall sits. Start off with the standard version and add in the variations that target the muscles you want additional work for when you can consistently perform multiple full 60 second wall sits.

Give them a try, and you won’t be disappointed.

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Tags: Exercise Type > Conditioning